Getty West Virginia QB Will Grier
West Virginia Mountaineers quarterback Will Grier put together an impressive 2018 season. He went on to make the decision to sit out the team’s bowl game in preparation for the NFL draft. Grier was a spectator at his team’s game in the Camping World Bowl on December 28, although he later cited an injury for his reason behind sitting out.
The former Florida Gators quarterback transferred to West Virginia after his freshman season in 2015. He proceeded played both the 2017 and 2018 seasons with the Mountaineers, posting impressive numbers in the process. Over 22 games over that stretch, Grier completed 65.7 percent of his passes for 7,354 yards and 71 touchdowns. For good measure, he’s also tacked on five rushing touchdowns in two seasons.
Arguably the most impressive aspect of Grier’s game was his ability to avoid turning the ball over. During the 2018 season in which he threw 397 passes and completed 67 percent of them, Grier threw 37 touchdowns against just eight interceptions. He’ll enter the draft as one of the more intriguing quarterback prospects.
Let’s evaluate the latest updated look at Grier’s NFL draft outlook and projected round he could be selected.
Will Grier’s NFL Draft Stock
Grier had a bit of a rocky start to his collegiate career after he was suspended for one year for violating the NCAA’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs. This came prior to his transfer to West Virginia.
Ahead of the Senior Bowl, ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay offered a mediocre review of Grier’s performance during his practice Wednesday.
“West Virginia’s Will Grier was solid but unspectacular on Wednesday. I thought he got into a good rhythm in 7-on-7s, but he is really benefiting from having three Mountaineer pass-catchers on the roster.”
ESPN’s Mel Kiper currently has Grier as his No. 5 overall quarterback behind the likes of Dwayne Haskins, Kyler Murray, Daniel Jones, and Drew Lock. Walter Football has him listed as the No. 7 overall signal-caller, which points to him possibly coming off the board a bit later than expected.
When Will Grier Could Be Drafted
It’s tough to gauge where Grier could realistically come off the board, but he’s drawing interest. Based on what we’ve seen from draft analysts, the outlook is very hit-or-miss. If going off what Kiper and Walter Football have offered, there’s a chance he could be looking at going somewhere on day two.
Specifically, Walter Football cited a range of rounds 2-4 while pointing to his average arm strength, but did previously cite that the media is pushing him as a first-rounder.
“Multiple team sources who have seen Grier in person say he has just average arm strength and has a hard time driving the ball when he can’t set his feet. Some in the media are pushing Grier as a first-round pick.”
One of the furthest I’ve seen Grier fall is the fifth round, which came in the most recent mock draft from DraftTek. They pegged him as the No. 135 pick by the Detroit Lions early in the round.
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